Hello, and I am back with another update! I don't really have much else to say other than I'm finally done with classes and I'm officially on summer break, so updates should be a bit (though I can't be confident 100% on that) quicker! Probably will run on the same schedule as I do as I am admittedly running a DRRP right now as well with my friend, but other than that, it should be the same! I found more motivation to do this than AoD, which is why you see this updated first and not AoD!

Uh, other than that, nothing else to say! Good luck reading the chapter :)

A HUGE THANKS TO OUR BETA READER: Prince PokePersona!

A sigh escaped the black-haired woman's lips when she eyed herself in the mirror. It was incredibly fortunate that there were no eyebags visible, but it was incredibly unfortunate that she felt ill, exhausted, cold… just about everything that set off alarms in her head.

To put it simply, her head was fucking burning right now, and her entire body felt both hot and cold at the same time. This was not good, she knew. This was not good at all.

Fucking hell. She slapped her cheeks. She was still here, this was reality. This was reality whether she liked it or not.

Goddammit. What to do, what to do… It wasn't the fact that she had eyebags or had disheveled hair once she checked the mirror, but it was the fact her throat felt itchy and her nose was runny.

She was, honestly, fucking sick.

This is just a placebo. A placebo, goddammit. She slapped her cheeks a couple of times and even tried to pinch them. They hurt like hell, but here she was- in reality. Her symptoms hadn't magically disappeared, and the epidemiologist cussed angrily both in her head and out of her mouth.

She kicked one of the pillows to the ground and breathed deeply. The sole fact that her hopes of not being sick or everything being a dream had been crushed, and it was frustrating that the symptoms she was experiencing were much more stronger than she had anticipated them to be. Whether that was a bad reaction from the drug that Libitina injected her with or her immune system screaming that she was genuinely poisoned or something, the epidemiologist couldn't think straight. She was panicking, anxious.

No no no… there's no way it's only me though. She quickly tapped on her wristwatch and pulled up the messages. She checked every single message available, and noticing no one had texted anything remotely similar to her circumstance, she quickly typed something into the group chat.

[Group Chat

Mayari: hey uh (04:49 AM)

Mayari: anyone awake? (04:49 AM)

Mayari: cause I think I'm literally sick rn pls end me (04:50 AM)]

The woman groaned. If not only this, but the fact that she'd be awake to hear Libitina's morning announcement was what annoyed her even more. So many things were happening in one sitting, and she didn't know how much she could take any longer.

[Margaret: I'm awake, dear. Do you need someone to speak to? (04:53 AM)

Margaret: If you are feeling unwell please rest. I'll bring food to your room separately. (04:53 AM)

Michi: I'm sick as well (04:54 AM)

Akira: bruh y'all are feeling sick too? i think i'm a bit sick :/ (04:54 AM)

Akira: i think some of the others are sick too, i think nao felt a bit unwell before she slept (04:54 AM)

Michi: That sucks (04:55 AM)

Mayari: WELP at least we're not alone to suffer (04:55 AM)

Akira: TRUE but still sucks af (04:57 AM)]

Mayari definitely agreed with that, snorting with a smirk present on her face. It was relieving that she wasn't the only one sick, but it was still nonetheless unfortunate to know that there were people who were actually sick.

That meant the motive was a legitimate concern if that wasn't already obvious, and that was such a pain in the ass to put it lightly.

Sniffling, the woman moved a hand to the side of her neck. Feeling slight hotness, more so than what should be regular, she sighed once in confirmation that- yes, she was being hit with the flu.

Okay, time to get some hot lemonade, I guess. She hated that she was awake so early in the morning, but it couldn't be helped right now, she figured. She stretched her arms out and made a small noise out of tiredness, rubbing her eyes.

She figured either Margaret or Keni or Ray would be up early to make food, so why not help them? She wasn't sure if her sickness could be passed down to them or if her sickness was specifically for her to experience, but she'd feel bad if she didn't help them when she was already planning to head over to the cafeteria. Maybe she could even check up on them to see if they were feeling alright? It sounded like a good idea, so why not, she decided.

So, bouncing a bit to energize herself, she slowly made her way out the door and straight into the hallway, through the lobby and into the cafeteria.

Expectantly, she heard some noises from where the kitchen would be. They sounded like voices, those Mayari recognized were her fellow Ultimates. The chattering was distant, muffled by the door leading into the kitchen, though the woman also heard the clattering of utensils, steaming of food, and even took in the smell of the aroma of freshly baked apple pie and scrambled eggs.

Yum yum galore, she amused herself as she smirked. Though she made a small cough out of itchiness in her throat, she quickly did her best to ignore it, clearing her throat before knocking on the door jokingly, raising her voice, "Coming in!"

She walked in without a second, eyes looking over to find Margaret and Ray inside, the duo eyeing her with genuine surprise and wonder.

Which, well, wasn't a surprise when Margaret quickly walked over to her, eyebrows furrowed. "Darling, shouldn't you be resting? A youthful woman like you needs your beauty sleep, especially if you're feeling unwell!"

"Oh, no, I'm doing fine," the epidemiologist said, though her words were cut off when Margaret leaned into her face.

"I'll get you some warm porridge and food!" she cried on her face. She huffed and turned around, now stomping through the kitchen aisles and pointing over to the ice cream maker whose eyebrows raised. "Ray, be a dear and check on the noodle soup."

"Hmph. Yes, ma'am," he mused, a tint of sarcasm behind that prideful voice of his. Nonetheless, he listened to the makeup historian and kept his focus on the pot of soup now, arms crossed.

Mayari just laughed a bit, flustered by the sudden change in the taller woman's mood. She watched the blonde as she grabbed some cocoa powder off the counter, most likely making some hot chocolate. Brushing back a lock of hair, the woman couldn't help but ask, a bit sheepishly, "Are you two the only ones here?"

"That's correct. Keni most likely overslept as he was, well, busy all day yesterday." The man chuckled, amused at the boy's own discretion. "Nao's unwell as you have seen in the group chat, and the others must be in their own rooms right now…. Or asleep. Either one."

"Huh. Makes sense." The raven frowned a bit. "You're not feeling unwell or anything?"

"I'm fine. If I was you, I'd honestly be more worried about myself." Ray huffed. "It's pointless to worry about anyone else if you're the one suffering."

I mean, I guess that's true, but still. Mayari frowned. She couldn't help but think about the others. There was Keni to think about, then even Michi, then Machi, and then there was also Mazen and Silvana… so many people to think about, especially with the woman only getting messages from only a few people, not everyone. She wasn't aware of who was sick and who wasn't, and even after that, she'd had to worry about how long they had, if someone would actually murder.

"I'm glad you guys look fine though," the raven spluttered out, smiling a little. "There'd be a shitstorm if everyone was sick. It's kinda crazy how it all just decided to happen today, huh?"

Ray couldn't help but note on that, tapping his chin. "True. It'd be a pain for our caretakers if we all got struck by the symptoms as well."

"Must be why they made it clear it wouldn't really affect everyone. Different shit for different types of stuff." Mayari couldn't help but snort at her own comment. Maybe she was bemused with her own circumstance, maybe she was frustrated. To say the least, the woman was simply annoyed with what was going on now. "Surprised you didn't get sick though, Marge. You're always busy. Thought you might be one of the sick ones."

"Supposedly it doesn't affect us based on health and stress." Ray shrugged. "Must be something else."

"Ah, Jian did mention the idea of a placebo, so I believe that might be the case." Margaret smiled calmly, not at all worried as she patted Mayari's back warmly. "I cannot afford to be sick regardless of what happens, dear! I have you all and the young ones to feed."

"Sheesh, you can at least ask the others for some help." The woman smirked. "I'm sure folks like Shura or even Keni wouldn't mind helping out."

"I'd rather they get their rest," the historian spoke with a giggle. Puckering her red cherry lips, she huffed as she turned down the heat on the saucepan. "Especially for one as young as Keni. People as young as him need to be nourished, especially if they're just as young."

Mayari couldn't help but chortle. "Well, maybe Jian and Keni, but I'm not even that young." She eyed Ray. "Are you young?"

"Preposterous assumption." The ice cream maker huffed. "Do I look like someone of Jian and Keni's builds?"

"Jesting, jesting."

The door was opened again, and the trio looked over to find Elodie walking in with a warm smile.

"Hello," she began, a bit shyly. "Do you, um, need any help? I was hoping I can help pass around some food to the others. A lot of us are sick."

"Yeah, judging from the group chat… yup, a lot." Mayari glanced over at Margaret who nodded, swiftly going to work. The epidemiologist watched as Elodie began tying her hair up, eyes scanning over at the woman as she coughed, slowly asking, "Are Keni and the others alright? Did you check on them?"

"Oh, Keni's fine," she answered, much to the raven's relief. "Machi told me when I saw her walking with Mazen and Silvana. They told me that they saw Hotaru sick though."

"Ah, shit." She frowned. "Is Michi still in their room though? Said they were sick."

"I think so… not sure."

Mayari forgot about the hot lemonade entirely now, focus fixated on both the chefs inside the room and her own friends. While she was glad some of them were safe and healthy, just hearing a couple more names being checked on the 'yeah, I'm sick' list was definitely a concern.

Fuck, is Mazen gonna be alright though? The sudden thought had hit her, green eyes widening in the middle of nowhere. The anxious bean that the time traveler was, it was, well, obvious to Mayari that may as well end up panicking again. It wouldn't be a surprise if he believed that he was going to die, if he was going to be closer to death. People were sick and that was a step closer to inevitable demise.

Ugh, but maybe Silvana and Machi are taking care of him. She wasn't sure, pinching the bridge of her nose. She wasn't even sure if she should worry about Keni or the others. Who knew if they were anxious just as much as Mazen was? The woman would never know, after all, she wasn't as close to them.

The woman perked up when Ray called out for the porridge. She walked over to the stove and looked from her position, noting how hot and freshly cooked the porridge was.

"Ah, I can help take them to the sick," the epidemiologist offered, smiling a bit. "I'll probably eat in my room too anyways, so I'll be on my way there."

"Mhm, it's probably best that you rest." Margaret nodded. "You need lots of it, dear. I'll bring you some hot chocolate as well after this."

"Oh, no need, but thanks." The raven walked over to grab the silver tray, placing a couple of bowls onto them. She then scooped up some of the porridge and within a couple minutes or so, each bowl was successfully full and ready to be brought, spoon and crackers added. Mayari huffed as she grabbed the edges of the tray and smiled. "I'll see you all soon."

"Alright!" Elodie smiled back sweetly. "I'll be sure to give you some waffles as well. Ah, hm- just text me what you want! Marge probably has a lot to offer anyways, ehe."

The woman chuckled. "Yeah, will do."

With that now out of the way, and using this as a distraction from her own worries, she quickly farted out of the kitchen with the tray in her hands. While it was admittedly hard to carry the tray all the way from the cafeteria to the main dormitory hallways, she was moving at a steady pace. It was still quite hard for her to carry everything and balance them, and given how hot the bottom of the tray was, she couldn't help but worry she'd had to make a few quick stops just to make sure her hands don't burn off.

Oh well, she figured it was better than moping around and worrying about her friends.

Well, that is, until she turned the corner and unexpectedly, yet possibly unsurprisingly in a way, she carelessly bumped into someone.

"Oof!"

"Oomph!"

She stumbled back, however the hard bump was impactful. As much as the woman tried to keep her balance, her arms were flailed, causing the bowls of porridge to spill out all over the place. Mayari fell backwards on her bosom and yelped in pain, and it definitely didn't hurt when the hot soups of porridge spilled on her clothes and hair.

And unsurprisingly, the porridge also spilled onto the unsuspecting victim.

"AH! Fuck! That fucking burns, holy shit- ow, shit-" Mayari cried out loud as she quickly shook her head and wiped off the porridge from her face. Ugh, she was definitely going to smell and to make things worse, she'd had to waste Margaret and Ray's hard work. She cussed underneath her breath before her eyelids fluttered, looking over at the person who was currently on the ground, in pain as well. "Shit, sorry- ah, fuck, are you okay?"

The person on the ground was undeniably Pax, the man's unique attire befitting of a butterfly now ruined. He looked like he was still in pain, though he said nothing as his eyes stared over at Mayari, fluttering his eyelids.

Ah fuck, it's one of the caretakers. Still, it was a relief that it wasn't someone like Ares- she was very sure that the certain masked man would be trying to kill her right now. Still, it was alright nonetheless. "Do you… need any help?"

Pax stayed for a moment. He only looked over at Mayari, then looked down. He murmured inaudibly, causing the woman to raise a brow.

"Um, hello?"

"…" Pax gestured to the corner. "… someone…"

Ugh, another? The woman looked over to the side to find Nomi, the pet detective looking ahead with a smile that was painfully trying to hide itself. Mayari flushed at the embarrassing situation and quickly shook her head. "Were you stalking him or something?"

"Nyan?" She tilted her head before nodding. "Well, I was about to go over to have a conversation with him, nya! I saw him walking around, so why not take the opportunity? That is- Pfft, until that happened."

"Oh, s-shut it." Mayari wanted to push the woman aside, but decided against it, only focusing back on Pax who slowly lifted himself up. She sighed when she saw how embarrassed he was himself, eyes averted to the ground. "Dude, uh, sorry."

"I mean, it was a hiccup, nya! No need to get embarrassed over it, even if it's kinda funny." The detective twirled around in her spot, dual-colored hair flying in response to the movement. She pointed at the duo. "It was a hiccup, nyan!"

Mayari frowned. "I think I get it now."

Though the same couldn't be said for the caretaker who stayed fixated on the ground, cheeks still flushed. "Um…" He twiddled his fingers. "Do you need anything? Do you have enough clothes in your closet? I'm assuming, uh, you're going to change."

"Oh, right." Mayari wiped some more porridge off her face and winced when a bit smudged on her nose. God, she had to tell Margaret and the others later too. She despised what was happening right now. "I should have enough. Uhh, thanks though?"

Pax nodded. "Uh, I won't tell anyone about what happened." His eyes did, however, look over to Nomi slightly.

To which she promptly lifted her arms up and shook her head. "Lips closed, nya! Can't go against a caretaker here."

I can't even tell if she's joking or not. Mayari sighed. She can't really help it if someone saw them in their current states anyways, so it might've been useless for Pax to even offer up his kindness.

Kindness… hm, I doubt it. Probably just pities me. He'll definitely tell Ares and Libitina what happened.

Nonetheless, Mayari nodded. "Yeah, thanks for that."

With a nod in response, the woman watched Pax who slowly left. Well, slow was an understatement, especially when the man quickly skidded out in a hurry, most likely out of embarrassment as the raven and her partner took notice of the bits of porridge that spilled to the ground from his movement. Mayari admittedly couldn't help but chuckle, though she wished Nomi would just stop laughing so outwardly about it, seeing the detective slapping her thighs and smirking.

"Didn't think you'd do it to a caretaker, Mayari!" she chirped out, wiping a tear. "If that's not intentional, then that's some real luck you have right there, nyan!"

"I'd consider that bad luck though," the woman mumbled, sighing. "I fucking wasted Margaret and Ray's porridge. I hope they still have enough left."

"Oh!" Nomi raised a brow. "Were you supposed to hand them out or something, nya?"

"Yeah, to the sick. Was hoping I could check up on them this way, but- uh, guess I should apologize to them instead?"

"Eh, your choice. Did you have anything else to do, nyan?" She frowned. "I thought you were sick as well, nya."

"Yeah, I am. Sucks, but I still wanna check on everyone." Mayari sighed. "They should be in their rooms… hopefully, not sure."

"Most likely, nyah." Nomi scratched her head now, eyeing the area. "Well, imma need to head out though. I was planning to talk to the caretakers since we've finally got some people sick, nya. I was hoping they'd at least give me an estimate about y'all's time till death- oops, didn't mean to scare you though, kid."

The epidemiologist only waved her aside. "Probably a few days. I'll see you soon then. Just text the group chat if you got anything important."

She gave her a thumbs up. "Will do!"

Mayari watched the detective leave before sighing, moving over to grab the tray and set it aside. She quickly tidied up the bowls on the side as well, only frowning as she realized that she definitely had to clean up after everything- that, or someone did it for her, and that would make her feel extra guilty.

Still, a shower was definitely way more important right now, and she probably had to apologize to the people who were waiting (maybe unknowingly) for some porridge. She silently shook some porridge off from her dress before feeling satisfied with her current appearance, texted Margaret and the others about the situation, then headed down towards the dormitories.

She knocked on Nao's door and sighed when it stayed closed. Alright, maybe it should've been obvious that Nao wasn't the type to laze around even when sick. Is she talking to the caretakers as well?

Not like she'd know unless she asked. She headed further down the halls and decided to skip out on the next person's door, which was Mazen's. She figured he and the others were out right now, so she moved to knock on the nearest door, which was Mikoto's.

She was honestly not expecting the door to open, but given how the author acted in general, she decided it wasn't a surprise. She quickly put a hand up to stop the younger woman from speaking, clearing her throat. "I dropped porridge, but not really cause Pax bumped into me so it isn't my fault, anyways are you sick I really can't tell I should put my hand down and-"

"Mayari." Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Oh, really? Shit." She wanted to smack herself upside the head. "Okaaaaay then, lemme try again. I was supposed to bring porridge to the sick people, but obviously from a glance at me you can tell something went horribly wrong… anyways, enough about that though. Are you even sick?"

The woman averted her gaze. "Only a runny nose. I wouldn't really call that being 'sick' though."

"Eh, better than me." Mayari shrugged. She watched the author whose eyes scanned the area, darting left and right. "No other weird messages?"

"Huh? Oh…" Mikoto silently looked away. "Nothing. Just nothing."

"Oh, that's good." Definitely a good thing, and it was the same with Mayari anyways. She hasn't gotten anything suspicious, yet. "Alright, I'll go talk to the others. See you soon."

Without a word to be said, Mikoto closed the door.

Most of the people she tried to speak to were either asleep, unwilling to answer the door, or were gone. It was a bit of a surprise to the woman as she really didn't expect many to move from their spot especially if they came down with the flu or had any symptoms, but at the same time, she was one of the people who were moving about. She figured she shouldn't really bother too much about that.

The woman glanced over at Hotaru who opened the door, the stuntwoman making a disgruntled sound and yawning. The bags she had under her eyes were definitely a sign that, yes, she was sick. "Need something, Mayari- bruh, what-"

"Ssssh, I already know what you're going to say. I bumped into Pax, that's all. Was supposed to give you porridge since you were also sick." The woman sighed, cheeks a bit pink. "Just came by to apologize."

"I mean, I didn't really expect to get food. Was gonna sleep the whole day and rest to see if I get better- but thanks, uh, I guess." Hotaru couldn't help but stare at the woman, blinking. "How the hell did you bump into Pax? He's pretty noticeable to me."

"Turned a corner. Nomi was laughing at us." She sighed, though regretted what she said instantly when she saw the small smirk forming on the stuntwoman's face. "You too?"

"It's fucking funny, you can't lie." She snorted. "You made my day, don't worry. Did the others see? I need to ask Nomi what she saw firsthand, pfft-"

"No, only Nomi did." She cussed Hotaru in her head.

The woman laughed. "Okay okay, I'll stop laughing, it's just- hah, didn't think something like this was possible in this hellhole. The most I saw these past few days was just Nobuyuki's dumbass face."

"I mean, I haven't seen the dude do anything yet, so we should be safe… for now, I guess." Mayari shrugged. "Kinda hoping he got sick too."

"You're sadistic." She chuckled a bit, sarcastic. "Thanks for the heads up though. If you guys still have food coming, I'll stay awake a bit longer then."

"Oh, probably. Elodie's helping Marge and Ray right now."

The duo had a brief conversation about food before Hotaru decided it was time to leave Mayari to her work, waving her off. The epidemiologist waved back in response before continuing where she left off, knocking on a few doors, waiting to see if they respond, and if not, moving to the next.

Honestly, it was more of a surprise that Akira wasn't moving out and about, seeing him opening the door and staring at Mayari. She only threw him a deadpan look as he cupped his chin, humming in thought. She waited a whole ten seconds before he snapped his fingers, grinning at her with a cough midway through the act.

"Got it!" he chirped out loud. "You ran into a wall and ended up spilling food all over yourself!"

"The wall I bumped into was Pax, so that's only 50% correct." She rolled her eyes before crossing her arms. A bit of porridge fell on the ground. "Just came by to say there's no porridge coming right now. Marge and the others probably have more food coming in. I need to ask if they have more though."

"I mean, there's no need to come by. I can just head over there myself. If not, I'd just get instant ramen or maybe a bento box." He shrugged, not at all bothered. "Kinda sucks I'm literally hot right now- wait, not literally in the sexy way- okay, you know what I mean. It's fucking hot to me right now!"

Mayari snapped her fingers and grinned his way. "Maybe tell the caretakers to lower the temperature? Maybe they can change your specific room temperature."

"Huh, good idea. Don't know if they even like me… yeah, probably not." Akira chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, you just came by to apologize or something?"

"Uhh, basically, yeah." The woman couldn't help but admit it was a bit embarrassing that this was her current purpose, though she tried to shake that off when she noticed a certain armourer walking by. "Oh, hey there, Shura!"

The man was walking by himself, helmet over his head. His eyes were still noticeable as well as parts of his hair- then again, it was quite obvious to tell who he was given his attire. Shura took notice of Mayari and smiled, though that smile slightly faded away when he took another glance. "Ah, hello there, Lady Mayari and Sir Akira."

The redhead waved back with a grin. "Scouting the area for some evildoers or something?"

"Aha, I suppose you could say that." Shura averted his gaze. "I'm- well, how are you two? I saw the group chat! You two fair civilians have gotten struck by this cruel caretakers' curse?"

Mayari nodded. "Yup, that's right. Fucking wanna die in the inside, but other than that, it's cool overall."

The knight audibly gasped. "My fair maiden, why are you covered in grumb?"

"Oh, just bumped into Pax while trying to head over here." She waved him off with a bitter chuckle. "Nothing bad happened per se."

"Ah… must be why the fair maiden Nomi was laughing." Shura chuckled. "It is alright! Accidents do happen, after all! It was nothing more than a simple accident!"

Bruh, she's still laughing? Mayari sighed to herself, hiding in her frustration as she crossed her arms. "Yeah, I need to shower after this."

"Yeah, I can tell." Akira threw his hands over the back of his head, amused. He coughed a bit, but nonetheless he was still relatively the same as ever, grinning. "It's okay, pretty sure the caretakers gave us a lot of extras to change into. Can't live with smelly clothes."

"Just need to check on the others and see if they're here first. I'll see you two shortly though."

Shura and Akira nodded, waving her off. She quickly turned around and hoped for the best that the duo weren't laughing at her, but judging from the armourer's behavior, she honestly doubted that he'd specifically laugh at least.

She continued knocking on the doors till everything had been knocked on. It seemed like only Akira, Hotaru, and Mikoto were still in their rooms, so Mayari figured there was no need to care anymore at the moment.

She headed over to her room and closed the door behind her, promptly taking off her clothes and showering.

Like Akira said, it was lucky (well, it was common sense) that the caretakers would have extras for them to change into. Mayari sighed when she grabbed another outfit that was, well, basically a copy of the one that was now porridge-smelling.

Were the caretakers so lazy that they bought the same outfit for us to wear for a whole week? I mean, there's the other clothes, but I haven't seen anyone wear them since they're sleepwear and for formal events, so…

She brushed the thought aside and quickly changed, padding away any dust or grime off her outfits and then tidying up her hair by combing and braiding it. She sprayed a bit of lavender cologne on herself to make sure the porridge smell wasn't even remotely present, and after a quick glance at the mirror, she figured she was now safe.

Well, safe from outwardly being humiliated at least.

I swear if Hotaru or Nomi ends up laughing about it to everyone I'm going to single handedly KO their asses.

She sighed and glanced over at her wristwatch, checking the messages sent to her. It seemed like Margaret, Ray, and Elodie were able to afford extra to make some more porridge, and it seemed like Elodie was currently moving over to leave some waffles on people's doors.

Knock knock knock!

Which, well, the woman didn't need to eye the messages in that case, swiftly moving over to open the door, towel around her neck. She looked over at the redhead who smiled with the plate of waffles on her hands. "Hey there, Elodie."

"Hello," she greeted in return, handing her the waffles. "You do not need to worry about the mess you made. I, well, saw Pax walking over to clean it."

"Oh, really?" Mayari glanced down at her plate of food, then back at the thanatologist. "That's… surprising."

Elodie chuckled. "I suppose so. Did you want anything else? Marge is making some apple pie as well."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll come to the cafeteria if I need anything else. Thanks though."

The redhead nodded in response. "Ah. Well, if you need anything, just text."

"Of course, of course."

The woman closed the door after waving Elodie off, now alone with herself and her waffles. It was freshly cooked, the woman able to tell from the steam and the syrup that almost seemed to sparkle under the light. The fresh berries on the side and on top of the syrup made everything just delicious, Mayari realizing when she bit into one of the waffles with her fork and humming in delight.

A couple of minutes passed since then, Mayari eating her food and checking up on her messages. She decided to try out some of the apps that were on her watch, but soon got bored of them after a moment, sighing as she allowed her hair to dry as she chomped down on her waffles.

Admittedly, the woman was still worried about Mazen and the others. She had messaged them as she was eating, though she hasn't gotten a response from her group chat with him and her other friends yet. She knew that Silvana and Machi were with her, and she was assuming Keni and Michi were nearby as well.

Maybe they're all hanging out? I didn't see Umaru yet either, so he must be with Nao… can't be everywhere anyways, the place isn't that big.

Still, a curious and worried person she was, she was still anxious. She knew that Mazen was anxious and that seeing the motive taking effect firsthand was not going to bode well for his health. She wasn't even sure what some people were doing or planning, such as Gento or Rebeka.

Suffice to say, the woman was worried, and after finishing her waffles and taking a short break, she decided to head back out.

She was planning to head back to the cafeteria and find some people there, such as Margaret and the others of course, but her trip was short lived as she walked just down the dormitories, finding Nobuyuki. The woman was automatically peeved from just looking at the back of his head, but it was obvious he was here for a reason, seeing the man looking forward, staring at Mazen and his group.

"Hey now, what the fuck?" Mayari quickly darted into the scene, putting herself in front of Nobuyuki's view. "Are you harassing them or something?"

The psychologist looked down at Mayari and only grinned. That shit-eating grin he wore was never ending, the man obviously amused with her appearance. "Looks like Ms. Little Short Stuff is here to save the day! Feel like the heroine now?"

"What? I'm just asking you a question." The woman looked over to Mazen who was currently looking at the duo, watching the time traveller who was currently with Machi and Silvana, seemingly hiding Keni from behind. "What are you even doing?"

"Oh, nothing, really." The psychologist chortled. "Just laughing about how sensitive you guys are! I was just saying: isn't it suspicious they're close to Keni? I only care about his safety, after all, and what if they're leading Keni to his death?!"

"Okay, and what I'm saying is that that's not really the idea?" Mazen looked at the man with wide eyes. "W-why would we do that?!"

"I really think you are getting the wrong idea," Silvana said, speaking with a slight shudder. "I'm sorry for sounding offended, but we are not here to hurt anyone."

"Really? And how can I believe that, hmm? Humans are capable of anything and everything. By that, I mean everything." He continued to grin, looking over at Mayari and the others. "Why wouldn't you hurt him? He's entirely helpless!"

"The same can be said for you." Mayari scoffed. "You're trying to make everyone anxious! I don't see why you have to be such an asshole. It's like you want someone to snap."

"I mean, lil' Mazen over there looks ready to snap and die,'' Nobuyuki sneered. "He's already an axnious fuck of a mess as he is."

Machi frowned. "That really isn't nice."

"Okay, but I'm just being honest." He shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if the lad over there ends up dying sooner or later. Everyone has him twisted around their little finger."

Mayari glanced over at the clinical research participant who held onto Kiki tightly. She felt her blood boiling. She looked over at Nobuyuki and clenched her fists. "Okay, but you're the one here telling everyone, especially him, first hand that he's going to die at this rate. You're the one who's trying to instill fear into everyone and cause chaos."

The psychologist sighed, shaking his head. "Like I said, my stupid epidemiologist, the idea of teamwork and cooperation? That's so lame! It'll take less than a minute or so for someone to think 'hey, this might not be a good idea, so lemme switch'. I at least have the balls to stay in my position as the non-teamwork agreer!"

"You were never in any position to join a group at any rate with that sort of behavior."

"But aren't you all afraid? You're friends with the time traveler right there-" to which he pointed to the man, "-the anxious little man who can't even go back to the future or some shit. You're trusting him so easily when it's soooo very easy for him to snap under enough stress."

"I-I am not going to snap!" Mazen cried out.

"Huh, really now? Hmm, but how are you so certain of that?"

The time traveler was silent, looking at the man. His cheeks flushed and body shaking, it was obvious Mazen wanted to do something. He couldn't even register Machi and Silvana who were telling him to calm down, couldn't even register Keni who was eyeing the scene with a worrisome look.

"Exactly, you don't know! You can't tell!" Nobuyuki laughed. "Humans think they know everything, but they don't! It's so funny you guys think you're incapable of murdering someone!"

She didn't know what hit her till that very moment. She felt her knuckles burning, aching. She heard the gasps from the people inside the room, and before she knew it, she saw Nobuyuki who was stumbling backwards, grabbing at his chin and now bloody nose.

"Oh my." The psychologist wasn't at all enraged. He wasn't angry, wasn't feeling anything. Even if the pain was throbbing and burning, he didn't show it on his face, a grin still present on his lips as he chirped out, "Didn't think you'd want to hurt me that badly, honey."

"Mayari!" Machi couldn't help but call out to her, shaking her head. "C-calm down a minute there-"

"Nah, nah, she shouldn't. It'd be interesting to see if she'd beat me to death!" he cried out, laughing despite the slight pain in his tone. "She probably wanted my nose to break, after all."

Break? I definitely wish it did. Yet the exclamation from Machi forced herself to stay grounded, the woman forcing herself to calm down, to remember that 'he's definitely trying to edge people on'. She kept her fists clenched, but grounded herself, eyeing the man. "Do you really not care if you die or not? It's that type of behavior that'll literally get you killed, dumbass."

"On the contrary, I think it's enough to make people kill, but not me." He bounced back, still gripping onto his nose and chin. "I'd be fearful of everyone else, not the guy who's just here to troll~"

Mayari groaned. "You're literally the worst kind of troll ever."

"I think I'm the best, Ms. Violent!" Nobuyuki continued to bounce back, now closer to his freedom. "Haha, I think you have way more to worry about though, so toodles! See you when you inevitably die!"

Ugh, asshole.

Still, Mayari knew what the man meant, looking over her shoulder to eye her friends. She noticed the shuddering of Keni who was still gripping onto Kiki tightly, and she noticed how bemused Mazen was about everything. She looked over at Machi who was eyeing her and scratched her head. "Uh, sorry. Didn't really mean to punch him…?"

"No, it's cool. Just- well, I was worried a fight would break out, I guess." The biochemist sighed, looking away. "Glad it, um, didn't."

"Mm, B-Big Sis…"

Ah fuck. Mayari looked over at Keni who was now looking up at her, eyes teary. "Sorry about that, Keni. I just, well, I didn't want him to be around you guys any longer. How long did he harass you for?"

"Not too long ago," Silvana answered, crossing her arms. "He was egging on Mazen and Keni. I didn't really know what to do, so Machi was trying to get him to leave… I should've helped."

"No, it's fine." The biochemist shook her head. "Really, I'm just glad he's finally away now- at least for now."

"My mood is literally ruined right now." Mayari groaned. "I'm glad you guys are fine though."

"I-I'm more worried about Big Bro though…" Keni gripped on the bottom of Mazen's shirt and tugged. "Are you alright? He was being a meanie to you…"

Mazen's eyes widened as Keni tugged. "H-huh? Oh, yeah, totally fine… haha, no need to worry about me! He just- honestly- I just- I don't know, I just really got offended."

"That's understandable though," Silvana replied, trying to comfort him. "I didn't like how he was treating you."

"No kidding…" The man sighed. "Why does he have to be such a jerk to everyone? It's worse that he was trying to corner Keni."

"I'm fine though, promise!" Keni quickly shook his head and threw a warm smile. "I-I'm fine since you guys protected me! He's just trying to be a bully, hmph!"

Sheesh, it's a good thing Keni doesn't seem too affected at least, just… She glanced at Mazen who was still shaking a bit, his smile slightly wavering as he spoke to the others. I fucking hate Nobuyuki's guts.

And with that settled, the woman was honestly way too tired to bother anymore. She spoke with the group for a bit before waving them goodbye, moving over to bring her empty plate to the cafeteria. She took notice of Margaret and Ray who were still inside the kitchen, possibly just talking now, and waved as she washed her plate and left.

Thinking about Nobuyuki and what had happened was honestly a tiring thing. Why was he being such an asshole to Keni and Mazen, and just about everyone? It was one thing that people like Rebeka and Gento at least didn't care enough to harass people, but Nobuyuki was in a whole other dimension.

It was so annoying to think about, and Mayari was honestly confident that if someone had bit the dust, it'd be Nobuyuki. He'd honestly attract way too much negative attention and it was inevitable if someone wanted him gone.

Mayari wasn't even sure how she'd respond in the case that he'd die, but she honestly wouldn't want to think about it. Beating him up and punching him was one thing, but killing him? The guilt that a murderer would even carry would be too much, she knew.

Oh well, she headed over to her room and sat down. It wasn't like she had much to do anyways, especially given that she was sick and like mentioned before, it might be a good idea to rest and see if symptoms would lessen. Her headache was now throbbing more so than ever before, and she figured this had something to do with what just transpired a little while ago.

She moved over to change into her sleepwear which was definitely making her feel better than before. Must be because it was sleepwear and her body was in the aching mood to rest, of course. Mayari moved over to brush her teeth just in case she'd accidentally sleep through the day. She honestly wanted to eat some dinner later, but her body screamed at her to rest now, so she finished it off with a glass of tap water before bouncing over to her bed and laying face down.

Fuck this headache.

And with a few strings of cusses in her head about the motive and Nobuyuki and just about everything she hated, she went to sleep-

-which honestly would've taken the whole night if it weren't for someone frantically knocking on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

The woman grumbled and stirred in her sleep. Who could be knocking at this hour, and why?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Okay okay, I'm coming! Just give me a moment- sheesh…" Mayari tumbled out of her bed and groaned. Uncaring about her messy appearance and disheveled hair, she groggily wiped her eyes and slid over to the door. She opened it with a small creaking noise, yawning. "Mm, yes?"

Arms wrapped around her, and within seconds Mayari was taken into a hug. The woman was caught aback, eyes wide before she slowly wrapped her own arms around the person. Noticing the familiar messy pale gray hair and clothing, she frowned.

"M-Mazen? What's wrong?"

She slowly looked over at the man who was teary-eyed, his head shaking and eyes averted to the ground. He didn't say anything for a moment, though the fear in his eyes hinted at something, something horrendous. "I… it's horrible, I…"

Mayari's own body began to shake. "Horrible? What does that-...?"

"N-Nao and the others… they're telling people to calm down, we're trying to wake everyone else up right now. Slept through the announcement s-since Libitina said she wanted 'a peaceful beauty night' for herself or something- uh-"

The epidemiologist held her breath. She reached over and grabbed Mazen's shoulders, forcing him to look into her eyes. "What announcement? What's happening?"

"I…"

"Mayari!" Michi came running down the hallway, waving her way and looking at the time traveler. "Are the others up? Not everyone's at the scene yet."

"T-they're probably somewhere else then- I'll wake them up-"

"Wait, wait." Mayari quickly shut everyone down, looking at them. "What's going on exactly? I slept through an announcement?"

The cartoonist looked at Mazen who looked away. Realizing the lack of communication, Michi slowly tilted their cap downwards and looked at Mayari. "... It's Marge- er, Margaret- w-whatever. I… she died. Libitina made an announcement a while ago. Everyone's rushing over to the crime scene- the, uh, the surgery labs."

"What."

She felt as if she was dreaming. Margaret. Margaret, the Ultimate Makeup Historian. The woman's name next to the word 'died' or anything remotely similar felt surreal. She looked blankly at Mazen and Michi, then bit her lips.

That's wrong.

She shoved past the duo and ran down the halls. She didn't even hear what Michi and Mazen said, couldn't care less. She sprinted down the halls and couldn't care less if she ran into something, bumped into whatever- nothing mattered to her.

What mattered to her was the utter fact that someone died, and it was someone Mayari would've never expected. She didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it.

Couldn't believe it, would never believe it-

-Running down the hallways and into the room, there was a crowd. She heard the shocked gasps and the murmurs, the cries from people, the utter intense silence from others. She saw how people shook, how they reacted, how everyone was in utter disbelief.

She pushed through them and immediately went silent, pale, frozen.

Margaret Barbara Simmons was dead, face entirely covered with tears and snot.

And with that comes the end of one of our poor, dear, beloved Ultimates! Let me say that I was planning this for a very long time and the outline had been finished since forever, so I am very happy I get to execute it in the upcoming next few chapters :) More angst is always fun, especially in a situation such as a killing game!

How do you think the murder went? Who do you think murdered her? Did you expect her to be the victim, or did you expect someone else?

As always, feel free to leave comments and whatnot, and have a good day :D!